Green Lemonade

The Juiceman Electronic Professional Series 410 Elite Edition

My mom bought us a used Juiceman Professional Series 410 juicer while back as a “Thank You” gift.  We had been wanting to get into juicing for a while, and she happened to find a never-used one for sale from a lady at her work.  It’s been a gift that we’ve enjoyed on a weekly basis for the past 4 years.

Our all-time favorite juicing recipe is Green Lemonade.  I can’t remember if I made up the recipe or just the clever name.  Either way, it’s a terrifically tasty and healthy way to get a big shot of vitamin C along with all the goodness of raw, fresh apple juice.  Perhaps the best part is that I can also get my kids to ingest the goodness of spinach with this juice, something I can rarely get Madeline to eat and never have gotten Anson to eat yet.  Spinach is loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin K and Folate. Though it doesn’t cause the juice to taste at all “spinachy,” the spinach adds that unexpected twist of color that gives the juice it’s name.

Anytime we’re on the edge of sickness or have spent time on vacation eating less-than-balanced meals, I serve up a nice glass of this juice to infuse us with good stuff that we’ve been missing out on.

But we also serve it on any-old-days.  The pictures below were taken after Anson got up from his nap when he and I decided to make “special juice” (a name that encompasses any combination of fruits/vegetables we put through the juicer).

You can use apples alone or a combination of apples and pineapple to give the juice a natural sweetness.  Anytime I buy a whole pineapple, I make sure to keep the core.  This otherwise unusable part of the pineapple is perfectly juiceable!

As one last note before I get to the recipe, I always try to use organic apples, lemon and spinach.  Apples and spinach are among the most contaminated fruits and vegetables.  Lemons aren’t, but since we use the rind in this recipe, I get organic so that our lovely juice doesn’t include the wax, preservatives, and pesticides from the rind.   Pineapple, however,  is one of the least contaminated fruits, so I don’t buy that organic.

To make it, juice into a large glass:

• 4 apples, with core and seeds removed OR
  2-3 apples with core and seeds removed + pineapple core
• 1/3 lemon with rind
• A couple of handfuls of spinach, smushed together into a tight ball

This makes just enough for a decent sized shot for all 4 of us.  For a full glass, you’ll have to make more.

If Anson can make Green Lemonade, so can you!  🙂

Lemon Parmesan Dressing

This dressing is simple, healthy and quite tasty.  I got it from Dave Lieberman from the Food Network.  I first made it to accompany salad cups, which were his idea too.  My version of salad cups are romaine leaves filled with chopped vegetables like cucumber, peppers, carrot, tomatoes and avocados. But the dressing works well on any salad.

To see his version of the dressing and salad you can visit here.

In a glass jar with a lid, combine and shake:

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large or 2 small lemons)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 25 grinds of black pepper
• fer pinches of salt

Banana Blueberry Muffins

Anson is affectionately referred to as our little Monkey.  He alone could consume several bananas in a single day if I allowed it.  (I don’t, just in case you were wondering.  I try to keep it to a single banana per day.)  Sometimes, however, I buy too many at a time.  Some end up getting black before we get to them.  I never throw these bananas away, as black bananas are not actually bad.  The blacker they are, the sweeter they are.  And in this black state, they’re perfect for use in smoothies or banana muffins.  So, when we find ourselves with a few black bananas, we’ll make up a batch of these muffins from Elana Amsterdam’s The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook and enjoy the fruit of our abundance.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine:

• 3 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

In a medium bowl, whisk together:

• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 3 large eggs

Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined.  Stir in:

• 2 cups (4 to 5) mashed very ripe bananas

Then fold in:

• 1 cup frozen blueberries (But I found that fresh work well too.)

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Let the muffins cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then serve.

Corn Bread Muffins

This makes 12 muffins – a nice accompaniment for a warm bowl of chili.

Blend together:

• 6 eggs
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In another bowl, blend:

• 4 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 6 tablespoons cornmeal

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until there are no lumps.  Fill muffin cups halfway with the batter.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Stuffed Portobellos

I tried this recipe once long ago.  I wasn’t 100% in love with it, but I did keep it around in case I decided to tweak it some time in the future.  That time arrived 2 nights ago.

I removed the hummus that the original recipe called for.  Though I enjoy hummus very much, I didn’t appreciate the feel it added to this particular dish. (Side note: I’m not sure of the origins of this recipe.  It was one of those I transcribed to a piece of scrap paper while over at a friend’s house. )

Fortunately for me, I loved it this time around.  Erich said it was pretty good, but that he would have loved it with the addition of mozzarella cheese.  I think he might be onto something. So, I added it to this recipe so that next time I make it, I’ll remember to put some in.  To keep it dairy free, just skip both cheeses.  The feel of the dish won’t be lost without them.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook according to package directions:

• 1 cup brown rice

In medium skillet over medium-low heat, warm:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Add and stir occasionally about 5 minutes until softened:

• 1 small onion, chopped

Add and cook an additional 5 minutes:

• 4 cups Swiss Chard or spinach, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Remove from heat and stir in:

• Cooked rice
• 1/2 cup rinsed and chopped roasted red peppers
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• Salt, to taste

On baking sheet with sides, place:

• 4 large portobello mushrooms, stems discarded

Spoon rice mixture into mushrooms.  On top, arrange:

• 3 plum tomatoes, sliced
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bake 25-30 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Then enjoy!

This meal is great with a nice big green salad.

Oatmeal

Here’s our tried-and-true oatmeal recipe.  The only sweetener is the juice we use to cook the oats and the frozen or fresh fruit we use to top it.  I usually use frozen fruit, because it cools the oatmeal quickly. Plus, I like to keep my fresh fruit available for snacks.  But we like to throw in fresh grapes, halved sometimes.  They add a fun sweet pop to the bowl.

This feeds the four little piggies in our house.

In a medium saucepan boil:

• 1 1/2 cups filtered water
• 1 1/2 cups Juicy Juice or V-8 fruit and vegetable juice, any flavor

Once it’s boiling, add:

• 1 1/2 cups Old-fashioned Rolled Oats

Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.

Pour into bowls and top with any or all of the following:

• Fresh or frozen fruit of your choice, diced
• Walnuts
• Ground Flaxseed

Two-Bean Chili with Avocado

This is a super easy and frugal recipe. Though we enjoy it on an almost weekly basis, it is especially nice to usher in the cooler weather of fall.  

I adapted it from a recipe published in Better Homes and Garden. My version makes a very large batch, which is nice if you’re planning on feeding a crowd or if you just want to have leftovers to freeze or eat later in the week.

In a large crockpot, soak and then cook until tender:

• 16 oz dried kidney beans
• 16 oz dried pinto beans

While the beans are working, cook in a large saucepan for 3 minutes (unless you want to make the super-simple version of this chili, in which case you can skip this step altogether without missing a ton):

• 2 teaspoons coconut oil or olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 2 tsp dried oregano, crushed

Once the beans are ready add the onions and oregano to the beans and stir in:

• 56 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
• 24 oz salsa

Continue cooking in the crockpot until everything is warm. The nice thing about a crock pot, is that everything can sit until you’re ready to eat.

To serve, top/serve with any or all of the following:

• 1 medium avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced
• cheese
• sour cream
• extra salsa
• chips, cornbread, or rice

Hummus Wrap

I saw this picture on Delish.com and was totally inspired to create my own wrap version of this vegetable-stuffed wonder.  You can use turkey or chicken if you’d like more protein.  Or you can leave it off and enjoy as a vegetarian meal.  Of course, this is one of those recipes where it’s totally legal to mix it up according to your preferences or what you have on hand.  You’ll be hard-pressed to “ruin” this one.

Here’s my ideal version:

• Wraps, whole wheat or sprouted
• Hummus (make sure there’s no hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup in yours)
• Salad Greens
• Sprouts
• Tomato
• Cucumbers, cut into flat slices
• Carrots, peeled in long ribbons
• Red and/or green bell peppers, cut into thin sticks
• Turkey or chicken
• Salad dressing (I like a balsamic vinaigrette, but Erich had one with Ranch and said it worked well too.)

Smear one half of the wrap with hummus, top with veggies and meat (if using), and your favorite salad dressing. Wrap it up and chow down!

Egg Salad

I slightly adjusted this Delish.com recipe.  This recipe makes enough for two good-sized servings. Yuuuum! (Or maybe I should say, Deeeeelish!)

And the photo is from Delish.com too.  Isn’t the color and variety so inspiring?!

Use an egg slicer or fork to chop up:

• 4 hard-boiled eggs

Then stir in:

• 1/4 cup finely diced celery
• 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons minced scallion greens
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Wild-Rice Stuffed Peppers

The wild rice can stand as a side all by itself, but we mostly use it as one a pepper filling.

This is a warm and cozy recipe, lovely for Fall/Winter.  But is also light enough to enjoy year-round.

Saute together in a large pot for 5 minutes:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of butter or oil

After onion is sauteed, stir in:

• 1 1/2 cups Lundberg Wild Rice Blend
• 1 1/2 cups broth or water
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 28 oz canned tomatoes (not drained), chopped
• 1/2 tsp each thyme, oregano, and salt

Bring to a boil, cover, simmer for 45-55 minutes or until rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

While the rice is cooking, cut off the tops and remove seeds from:

• 4 sweet peppers (any color).

Place the peppers open-side-down in a steamer and steam for about 10 minutes, until tender

Stuff the rice into the pepper. You can top with breadcrumbs and a pat of butter if you’d like.  It adds a fun crunchy element to the meal.  Bake 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees until everything is warmed through.

Serve with generous amounts of:

• Parmesan cheese